Pomona station (California)

Pomona–Downtown
Pomona station, 2023
General information
Other names	Pomona–Downtown Pomona Transit Center
Location	100 West Commercial Street Pomona, California United States
Coordinates	34°03′33″N 117°45′04″W / 34.059188°N 117.75117°W / 34.059188; -117.75117
Owned by	City of Pomona
Line(s)	UP Los Angeles Subdivision UP Alhambra Subdivision[1]
Platforms	1 island and 2 side platforms
Tracks	3
Train operators	Amtrak Metrolink
Bus routes	Foothill Transit: Silver Streak, 195, 197, 280, 291, 292, 480, 482 Omnitrans: 61
Bus stands	12
Construction
Parking	907 paid spaces[2]
Accessible	Yes
Other information
Station code	Amtrak: POS
History
Opened	1940, 2001 (Metrolink)
Passengers
FY 2022	1,131[3] (Amtrak)
Services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Los Angeles Terminus Sunset Limited Ontario toward New Orleans Texas Eagle Ontario toward Chicago Preceding station Metrolink Following station Industry toward L.A. Union Station Riverside Line Ontario–East toward Riverside–Downtown
Former services Preceding station Amtrak Following station Alhambra until 1975 toward Los Angeles Sunset Limited Ontario toward New Orleans Preceding station Southern Pacific Railroad Following station Alhambra toward Los Angeles Sunset Route Ontario toward New Orleans
Location

Pomona station, also called Pomona–Downtown station, is a train station in Pomona, California, United States. Amtrak's Sunset Limited between Los Angeles and New Orleans and Texas Eagle between Los Angeles and Chicago via Texas, along with Metrolink's Riverside Line trains between Los Angeles and Riverside–Downtown station stop here. It is owned and operated by the City of Pomona.

Pomona station is served by 11 Metrolink Riverside Line trains (6 westbound and 5 eastbound) each weekday, running primarily at peak hours in the peak direction of travel. There is no service on weekends.^[4] The Sunset Limited and Texas Eagle operate as a single combined train, with the eastbound train stopping at the station on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 10:40 pm, and westbound trains stopping at the station on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 4am.^[5][6] The Riverside Line follows the State Route 60 freeway corridor while the Sunset Limited separates and follows the Alhambra Subdivision, owned by Union Pacific.

History

The 1940 station was designed by Donald Parkinson in the Mission Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival styles.^[7] Details include stuccoed walls, an arcade and red clay tile roofs.^[8] It once served the main Southern Pacific Railroad line from Los Angeles to New Orleans, and the main Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad line. Currently both lines are now Union Pacific Railroad lines.

Present Day Use

Following the development of Metrolink in 1991, the Riverside Line began using the route in 1993, planning a likely station to serve central Pomona along the corridor. Eventually, service to Downtown Pomona station officially began on February 5, 2001.^[9][10]

In fourth quarter of Fiscal Year 2015, an average of 221 passengers boarded Riverside Line Metrolink trains at Downtown Pomona station daily.^[11] Metrolink trains board at the south platform, across the pedestrian bridge. Approximately 300 parking spaces are available for Metrolink passengers. Originally a center platform was created for additional Metrolink service facing track 2, but was abandoned around 2006 due to declining ridership.

Amtrak trains board at the North platform facing Track 3, near the station building. There are no Amtrak personnel at the station, but tickets can be picked up from the Metrolink ticket vending machines at the station so long as reservations are made in advance, either on Amtrak's web site, smartphone App, or via telephone.

Amtrak serves the station following a Union Pacific-owned freight route which redirects through El Monte and Baldwin Park to connect to the Monte Vista Rail Corridor, rather than follow the route of the Riverside Line. Of the 77 California stations served by Amtrak, Pomona had the lowest passenger traffic in Fiscal Year 2015, boarding or detraining 1,812, which corresponds to an average of approximately 5 passengers daily due to extremely inconvenient travel times to and from Los Angeles.^[12]

The different Pomona–North station serves the ex Southern Pacific, Pacific Electric and Santa Fe Lines, now the San Bernardino Line.

Crime

During much of the 2010s, the local homeless population began moving around the station and the nearby area. In 2018 an Amtrak engineer was charged with the murder of two homeless men shot and killed on the South Platform.^[13][14]

In 2020, it was discovered that multiple transients living in the nearby encampments had been regularly breaking into freight trains parked on the adjacent tracks.^[15] The station was renovated in 2020 at a cost of $1.3 million to remove the growing homeless encampments on the North platform, in addition to repainting the bridge and removing graffiti from the opposing wall.^[16]

Platforms and tracks

Side platform, doors will open on the left
Westbound/ Eastbound	← Sunset Limited and Texas Eagle toward Los Angeles (Terminus) → Sunset Limited toward New Orleans (Ontario) → → Texas Eagle toward Chicago (Ontario) →
	← UP freight trains →
Abandoned island platform
Westbound/ Eastbound	← Riverside toward Los Angeles (Industry) → Riverside toward Riverside–Downtown (Ontario–East) →
Side platform, doors will open on the right

Connecting bus service

Foothill Transit uses the station as a transit center for the area, with extensive connections throughout the San Gabriel Valley. The bus depot is located near the main station building, adjacent to the North platform, across from 1st and Commercial Streets. Foothill operates a transit store and information center in the station building. Lines 195, 197, 280, 291, 292, 480, 482 provide service to the station. The Silver Streak provides express service to Downtown Los Angeles seven days a week.^[17]

Omnitrans operates route 61 to the Pomona station. Foothill passes are accepted for one trip on Omnitrans, and Omni passes are accepted for one trip on Foothill at the station. The 61 also connects to Ontario Airport.

Both operators provide free rides for passengers holding a valid Metrolink ticket or pass.

The Purple line is an under construction sbX route connecting Downtown Pomona to Ontario Airport. It is expected to open in 2025,^[18] with 21 stations at launch along Holt Boulevard ^[19]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pomona station (California).

• Pomona, CA – Amtrak
• Pomona, CA – Station history at Great American Stations (Amtrak)
• Pomona–Downtown at the Metrolink website
• Pomona Amtrak-Metrolink Station – USA Rail Guide (TrainWeb)

This page was last edited on 25 January 2024, at 09:09